Canterbury

Canterbury's population expanded between the last two censuses. Data from the census also show there were changes in marriage, religion and housing tenure.

The population passed 150,000

Between the last two censuses, the population of Canterbury increased by 12%, from about 135,000 to 151,000.

The addition of just under 16,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Canterbury was home to, on average, 3.5 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was similar to the average across the South East

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the South East, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Canterbury

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Canterbury remained 39 years.

This city had a slightly lower average age than the South East and had a similar age to the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of almost 6,200 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just over 2,000.

About 16% of people in Canterbury are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Canterbury by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More single people in Canterbury

Canterbury saw the South East's second-largest rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership.

In 2011, just under 4 in 10 (39%) people aged 16 and over in Canterbury said they were single, compared with 32% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 49% to 43%.

Across the region, only Portsmouth saw a greater rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership (from 36% to 44%).

During this period, Canterbury overtook Slough, Guildford and Runnymede to become the South East local authority area with the sixth-highest percentage of single people.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was higher than across the South East

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

More students

The percentage of Canterbury residents that were studying increased from 4.2% to 7.1% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (44%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 47% in 2001. The percentage of Canterbury residents that were unemployed increased from 2.7% to 3.1%.

The proportion of students increased faster here than in any other local authority district across the South East. As a result, this area had the region’s highest proportion of students.

The percentage of students in Canterbury increased by 2.9 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Canterbury, the South East and England that said they were in education, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

Canterbury saw the South East's largest rise in the proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week.

In 2011, just under 1 in 20 (4.6%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Canterbury said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 2.8% in 2001. The percentage that worked over 49 hours in a week decreased from 15% to 11%.

Across the region, Southampton saw the next largest increase in the proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week (from 2.5% in 2001 to 4.2% in 2011).

Every local authority area across the South East saw a rise in the proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week, as the regional average grew from 2.1% to 3.1%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Canterbury increased by 1.8 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Canterbury, the South East and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Canterbury

The number of people in Canterbury that described themselves as having no religion increased from just under 23,000 in 2001 to about 43,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 17% to 29% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across the South East (from 17% to 28%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Canterbury that described themselves as Christian decreased from about 99,000 in 2001 to about 91,000 in 2011 (from 73% to 60%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from just under 11,000 to just under 12,000. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 8.0% to 7.9%.

Just over 1,800 people (0.6%) said they were Muslim, up from just under 870 in 2001 (1.2%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Canterbury increased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Canterbury by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

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